Spotify to poke around your private parts

Privacy concerns are a big issue when it comes to the apps on your phone. Well, Spotify have just updated their privacy policy, and it makes for unpleasant reading.

They now want to access more information on your mobile, specifically with sensors so they know whether you're running, standing still or walking. That doesn't seem like to much bother does it? Well, they also want your GPS co-ordinates too. And access to your photos and contacts.

They say that they will share that information with 'partners', which means that Spotify could now be telling people about where you are and, oddly, how quickly you're getting there.

Whether you're on the freemium model, or you're a subscriber, this update applies to both.

The agreement says: "Depending on the type of device that you use to interact with the service and your settings, we may also collect information about your location based on, for example, your phone’s GPS location or other forms of locating mobile devices (e.g., Bluetooth)."

"We may also collect sensor data (e.g., data about the speed of your movements, such as whether you are running, walking, or in transit)."

Now, you might not be bothered by this, but there's some people who are already miffed about the whole thing. Over on various social networks, some have asked if Spotify are 'crossing the line?', while others are saying they want to quit the service. This is bad timing for the music streaming service, as they've never had so much competition for people to jump to.

Whether the competition is any better, remains to be seen.

A Spotify spokesperson said that they rolled out the new policy to be "as open and transparent as possible when it comes to how we describe our business, how we work with advertisers, what information we collect, and what we do with it".

**UPDATE**

Spotify has issued an apology and an explainer.

CEO Daniel Ek says: "We should have done a better job in communicating what these policies mean and how any information you choose to share will – and will not – be used."

So, they're saying that you don't have to let them access all your data, because the ask you for permission first. And they won't share any of that info without 'de-identifying' it first.

Spotify want you to know that these permissions can be revoked whenever you want... although, seeing as you have to agree to their t&cs on Android, or you can't download the app, and you can't customise your permissions in the settings, it isn't clear what they actually mean by this.

Spotify promise that they're going to update their privacy policy over the coming week, in a bid to explain themselves better.